Cleaning device for excavators



G. H. GREIMANN.

'CLEANING oEvlcE EoR ExcAvMoRs.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5 1920.

` Patented Feb. 14, 1922'.

Vcent to F ig. 2, some of the Nirsn stares rAreNT lorries.

GEORGE H. GREIMANN, OF GAR/NER, OVVA, ASSIGNOR TO GREIMANN DITCHER PANY, 0F GARNER, 'lOl/VA, A COBPORTEGN 0F IOWA.

COM-

CLEANING DEVICE FOR EXCAVATORS.

Specification of Letters vatent.

Patented Feb. 14., 1922.

Application filed November 5, 1920. Serial No. 421,899. v

To cZZwi-om t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Geenen H. GREIMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Garner, in the county of Hancock and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Cleaning Devicesk for Excavators; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improved cleaning device for cleaning or scraping the spades, buckets or excavating blades of excavators of the type, for example, disclosed and claimed in my priorPatent No. 1,287,675, of date December 17, 1918, entitled lxcavatorf rflic invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

. Referring to the drawings:

,Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the cleaner and illustrating the action thereof;

F ig. 2 is a horizontal section on the irregular line 2-2 of Fig. 1, some of the parts being left in full; and l Fig. 8 is a View looking` at the cleaner in the direction of the arrow marked adj aparts being scctioned on the line 3-3 of said F ig. 2.

0f the parts of the excavator', in so far as they are shown,l the numeral 4 indicates an boom-supporting beam or frame 5 is rigidly secured. The numeral 6 indicates ka power driven shaft journaled in suitable bearings on the beam 5 and carrying a polygonal, preferably ahexagonal, wheel ',over which runs a sprocket chain or link belt 8. Certain of the links of the chain 8 carry outstanding arms 9, to the flanged outer end of which excavating devices, herein designated as spades 10, are rigidly secured. These spades or excavating devices 10 are curved on such lines that they are approximately concentric to the axis of the shaft G while passing around said shaft. The spade-carrying arms 9, transversely of the ,te givethe desired strength.

rilhe cleaner comprises two preferably tri angular cleaner blades 11 and two spring arms 12, to the free ends of which arms, said cleaner blades 11 are rigidly secured. Said arms 12 are preferably curved throughout and, at their outer ends, are formed with helical or spiral coils, the ends of which are rigidly secured to anchor blocks 13. These anchor blocks 13, as shown by nut-equipped bolts 14, are Vpivoted to supporting plates 15 that are bolted orvotherwise rigidly secured to upright members of the frame 4. At points odset from the pivot bolt 14:', nutequipped bolts 16 Vare passed through perforations in the anchor blocks 18 and through segmental slots 17 in the bearing plates 15. The slots 17 and bolts 16 afford means for adjustingk the tension under which the spring arms 12 will be yieldingly pressed outward. The outward movements of the free ends of the arms 12 and of the blades 11 that are attached thereto are limited by stop devices, shown as afforded by short chains 18 that are adjustably anchored to brackets 19 on a postrof the upright frame f1. As shown, the chain 18 is connected to an eye-bolt 2O that is equipped with a nut 21. A coiled spring 22, placed around the eye-bolt 20, is compressed between the bracket 19 and a washer held by the nut 2l.

.The'two spring arms 12 are extended obliquely inward and stand preferably at an angle to each other of little more than ninety degrees. When properly adjusted, the cleaner blades 11 will be in a position to nearly, but not quite, engage the spades that are moved past the same by thccarrying chain` 8, and there is suiicient space left between said blades 11 to permit the fiat arms 9 to pass between the same. Thus, the cleaner or scraper blades are positioned to keep the spades or excavating devices clean, but they are so supported that they will readily yield substantially in all directions to permit the blades 11 to clear stones or other hard objects that may be picked up and moved with the spades in the excavating action. For

example, the peculiar spring formation ol the arms will permit the blades il to move forward with the spades or to move laterally to clear an object or to move radially inward or toward the shaft 6. @therwise stated, the spring arms support the cleaner blades 1l normally in position to clean the spades or excavating devices, but under excessive force applied to the blades, said arms do not hold the blades for any particular line ot receding movement but hold them free tol partake of. any direction of movement that will `enable the blades to more easily and quickly escape the contact.

The coiled springs 22 serve as shock absorbers to prevent jars when the cleaner blades and arms have been moved out ot position and then suddenly released and lowed to fly back to working or normal' positions. f

The nut 2l, on the eye-bolt 20, permits adjustments of the stop chain so as to set the cleaner blades 1l to work as closely as practical to the excavating spades and to the' arms 9.

What l claim is:

1. The combinationY with an endless carrier and spades or excavating blades carried thereby, ot a spade cleaningdevice comprising a spring arm equipped with a cleaning blade at one end and spirally coiled and anchored at its other end so that said cleaner blade is capable of approximately universal yielding movement under pressure in the cleaning action.

2. The combination withan endless carrier and spades or excavating blades carried thereby, of a spade cleaning device comprising a spring arml equipped with a cleaning blade at one end and spirally coiled and anchored at its otherv end so that said cleaner blade is capable of approxi mately universal yieldingmovement under pressure in the cleaning action, and a stop device limiting the forward movement of said arm and blade under the springtension in said arm. e

3. he combination with an endless carrier and spades or excavating blades carried thereby, o'l" a spade cleaning device comprising` a spring arm equipped with a cleaning blade at one end and sp'irally coiled and anchored at its other end so that said cleaner blade is capable oit approximately universal yielding movement under pressure in the-cleaning action, and au adjustable anchor to which the coiled cud of said spring arm is secured.

4l.v The combination with an endless excavator belt having outwardly projecting arms, of excavating spades or blades rig-` idly secured to the outer ends of said arms and projecting on both sides thereof, and a pair of spring arms having spirally coiled anchored ends and provided at their 'tree ends with anchor blades spaced to perpositioned to operate adjacent to the inner surfaces of the passing spades, and adjustable anchors to which the coiled ends"V of said spring arms are secured.

6. The combination with an endless ex-V cavator belt having outwardly projecting arms, of excavating spades or blades rigidly secured to the outer ends `of said arms and projecting on both sides thereof, a pair of spring arms having spirally coiled anchored ends and provided at their free ends with anchor blades spaced to permit the spadeequipped arms to pass therebetween and positioned tooperate adjacent to the inner surfaces ot the passing spades,`and flexible stops for limiting the movements of' said spring arms in the direction in which they are impelled by their own spring action.

7. The combination withv an endless excavator belt having outwardly projecting arms, of excavating spades or blades rigidly secured to the outer ends of said arms' and projecting on both sides thereof, a pair of spring arms having spirally coiled anchored 'ends and provided at'their free ends with anchor blades spaced to permit the spadeequipped arms to pass therebetween and positioned to operate adjacent to the 'inner surta-ces ot the passing spades, saidspring arms being set in outwardly convergingfarrangement, and stops for limiting the movements of said arms in the. direction in which they are impelled/by their own spring actions.

8. The combination with spades 'or excavating blades and means for moving the same on an endless course, of a spadecleaning device comprising an arm that is anchored at Aone end and is made of spring metal so that it willv yield, and acleaning blade secured to the free end of said'arm and positioned to clean the spades as they pass the same. i

S). The combination with spades or excavating blades and means for moving the same on an endless course, of' a spade-Y cleaning device con'iprising an arm that. is

auchored'at one end, aud is made of spring metal so that it will:l yield, and a cleaning blade secured to the free end of said; arm and positioned to clean the spades asv they pass the same, said'spring arm being curved so that it is capable of approximately universal yielding movements under pressure Y in the cleaning action.

l0. The combination with spades or eX- cavating blades and means for moving the same on an endless course, said spades having centrally located supporting arms, of a pau' of curved spring arms anchored at one end and provided at their free ends with cleaning blades that are positioned to 10. `l

clean the spades as they move past the same and are spaced to clear the supporting arms of said spades.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

GEORGE H. GREIMANN. 

